Time Marches

Eldeen Reaches

Ruler: Oalian and the Wardens of the WoodPopulation: 1,500,000

Found in the northwest of Khorvaire, the Eldeen Reaches are a largely untamed sprawl of nature extending for many miles. Initially part of Aundair but abandoned during the Last War, the territory came under the protection of the druids, rangers, fey and shaman who protect it even to this day.

History

The Eldeen Reaches are a place of rampant nature. Most of the nation is dominated by the Towering Wood, a great and ancient forest, and within are countless circles of druids attuned to the primal power of this place. Yet despite the almost idyllic and free natural presence, the Reaches have a darker history.

Before the Last War, the Eldeen Reaches were a territory of Aundair. Midway through the war the nation pulled troops from the forests to defend the more populated regions, essentially leaving the Eldeen people defenseless under attacks from Breland and the raids of bandit armies, paid for by Karrnath and the Lhazaar Principalities. In a desperate effort, the Wardens of the Wood raised a sort of army from the druids, rangers, and fey scattered throughout the Towering Wood, and fought back, rallying the Reachers and eventually declaring the nation their own, to be officially recognized with the Treaty of Thronehold in 996 YK.

Long before this, though, the Eldeen Reaches were settled initially by orc druids at the height of the Dhakaani Empire. The war with the daelkyr crippled the orcs as it did all of the empire, and the effects of the war are prominent within the Towering Wood, with aberrant creatures and areas of corruption featuring prominently in some areas. The surviving orc druids banded together, calling themselves the Gatekeepers, and work to defend the Wood from aberrant threats. More mysteries wait in the woods besides the influence of the daelkyr, however, including a remote Blood of Vol monastery built on a passage to Dolurrh.

Society & Culture

These days, the Eldeen Reaches is a nation largely made of simple farmers and druids. Economy is almost entirely barter and favour-based, and currency is rejected by much of the populace.

The capital of Greenheart is a small settlement built to have minimal impact with the Towering Wood around it. Built around the Great Druid Oalian — an ancient sentient tree — and protected by the Wardens of the Wood, it forbids all commerce and promotes druidic faith to all visitors.